Enneagram Type 8: The Challenger

The Enneagram of Personality, or just the Enneagram, is a representation of personalities using a geometric figure, also called an enneagram (little e), to express nine interconnected personality types. While each type is unique it is related to other types through the circle connecting the type to each of it’s wings and the lines or arrows in the center connecting the type to the ones it imitates in times of stress or growth. The Enneagram is used in business management training to better understand interpersonal dynamics in the workplace. Types eight, nine, and one constitute the gut triad. This triad is primarily motivated by anger. Those in the gut triad tend to filter life at a “gut level” or by instinct. Because of that, they tend to be motivated by a desire to be independent, to dominate their environment and to stay in control of their own life. The world around them is something to be dominated, or at least controlled. Of the three, Eights externalize their anger by focusing it on others. At their best, Eights are great friends, exceptional leaders, and champions of the downtrodden. They have the courage, intelligence and stamina to push through and do things that other people say are impossible. They use their power well, at the right time, and in moderation. They are also capable of collaborating well with others. At their worst, Eights are preoccupied with the possibility of betrayal. They tend towards suspicion and distrust of others and tend to resort to revenge when they are wronged. They believe they can fix reality and try to force their own rules on others. They end up using people. Eights are blunt, like to be direct, and can often be motivated by anger and a desire for independence. While they can come across as overly aggressive or even rude, eights aren’t necessarily rude – rather, they are making sure that they have control over their own lives and reducing their risk of betrayal. However, at their core, they are extremely loyal to the people they care about and can be vulnerable and honest with them. Like other personality types we’ve discussed in this series, the eight has many lessons for us – they can teach us to be assertive, independent, and to make sure that our needs get met. Eights can also be helped by the people around them, who may need to gently inform the eight when they are being too intense, aggressive, or blunt for social situations. Episode Breakdown Main Characteristics The Enneagram Type Eight is “The Challenger” Eights are called “The Challenger” because they’re aggressive, confrontational people who are in life for what they can get out of it. The Eight’s drive to control things stems from a desire for independence. They enjoy taking on challenges themselves as well as giving challenges to others.For The Challenger, control over their environment is everything. Aggressive confrontation provides them with a sense of control over their environment and defense against being dependent on others. Eights have incredible vitality and willpower and they feel best when exercising that power in the world. Not only do they want to “leave their mark on the world”, but they also want to help keep the people they care about from being hurt. Challengers are fiercely independent. They tend to assume that others are untrustworthy and thus don’t really want to trust them too far until they have proven themselves. Eights don’t really come equipped with a lot of range. Their emotions are more like an electrical switch than a dimmer switch; they are either on or off. For them, conflict is a connection to another person and a form of intimacy. If an Eight is comfortable with you – they will argue with you. This all-or-nothing approach means that they either win big, or everything goes very badly,